Indeed recently added a feature that allows job seekers to enter a minimum salary requirement in the keyword search box. This feature will allow users to only receive information on jobs estimated to have similar salaries. Besides the obvious benefits of improving job targeting by creating search parameters around salary requirements, I see additional value in this feature including:
- a vehicle for validating if your salary requirements are realistic.
- a tool for career changers who are trying to understand their potential market value in a new industry/job function.
- a benchmark that can help drive the salary negotiation conversation.
- an indicator of how your current salary stacks up to similar positions.
Information is certainly power when it comes to negotiating your salary. Any conversations around salary expectations should focus on what the market will bear rather than what you want. Indeed’s tool can be leveraged to help build the credibility of your negotiation strategy and secure more of what you want. By showing yourself as an “educated consumer” who understands your market value, you are more likely to achieve your salary goals without compromising the relationship you have worked so hard to build with a hiring manager. In addition to doing online research, do off-line research by asking recruiters and colleagues about salaries for the types of positions you are exploring and benchmark these findings against your online data.
